1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to electric motors used to operate pump jacks and other devices with rotating or reciprocating masses.
2. Description of the Related Art
A pump jack is an above ground driving device for a reciprocating piston pump installed downhole in an oil well. The pump jack mechanically lifts liquid out of the well when there is not enough bottom hole pressure for the liquid to flow by itself to the surface. The pump jack is often powered by an electric motor that receives electrical power from an electric utility grid. A pump jack converts the rotary mechanism of the electric motor to a vertical reciprocating motion to drive the downhole pump. There are many different designs of pump jacks, including, but not limited to, conventional, the Lufkin Mark II, beam-balanced, air-balanced, slant hole and conventional portable. Pump jacks are available from many different suppliers, including Lufkin Industries, Inc. of Lufkin, Tex. and Cook Pump Company of Coffeyville, Kans.
The pump jack electric motor usually rotates a set of pulleys to a gear system or transmission, which in turn drives a pair of cranks or crank arms. For a typical conventional pump jack design, the cranks raise and lower an end of a lever or beam, known as a “walking beam,” that is pivoted on a sampson post or A-frame. A curved metal box known as a “horse head” is on the other end of the walking beam from where the crank arms are connected with the beam. A counterweight or reciprocating mass is typically attached to one end of the cranks. A pitman arm usually spans between the counterweight and the end of the walking beam opposite the horse head. A cable connects the horse head to a vertical polished rod, which is connected to the vertical string of tubulars or sucker rods running to the downhole pump.
The counterweight assists the motor in lifting the string of sucker rods or tubular string. When the motor lifts the counterweight upward, the horse head moves downward, pushing the sucker rods or tubular string downward. After the counterweight reaches the top of its rotation, it swings around and assists the electric motor to rotate the walking beam in the opposite direction using the counterweight's momentum and mass (kinetic energy). When the counterweight is free-falling downward from its uppermost position, the horse head moves upward, lifting the string of sucker rods upward. U.S. Pat. No. 4,051,736 proposes an improved pump jack for reciprocating an oil well pump.
Although there are different downhole pump designs, downhole pumps have traditionally comprised a plunger or piston reciprocating within a pump barrel located at or near the end of the production tubing. Two independent valves typically accomplish the pumping action. A standing check valve may be secured in the pump barrel beneath the piston, and the piston may include a traveling check valve. The upstroke of the piston opens the standing valve, and draws fluid into the pump barrel as the traveling valve remains closed. The downstroke of the piston opens the traveling valve and forces upward the fluid from the pump barrel as the standing barrel remains closed. U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,578,886; 4,173,451; and 6,904,973 propose downhole pumps.
It is well known that electric motors can enter an energy generation mode of operation. For an electric motor used with a pump jack, an energy generation mode can occur at any time during the rotation of the counterweight, depending on the condition of the balance between the counterweight and the tubular or rod string. The condition of the balance may fluctuate from pumping stroke to stroke, depending on the amount and composition of fluid being lifted by the rod string in each stroke. The polished rod and attached sucker rod or tubular string may be moving upwards or downwards in the energy generation mode.
A well owner must pay his electrical bill based upon the amount of power the pump jack motor consumes. The amount of energy consumed is measured by an energy meter. In the past, the amount of power consumed was measured by an analog electricity meter. Many digital electricity meters are now used. The energy meter, whether of analog or digital design, may be configured, at the discretion of the utility company, to allow or prevent crediting the customer for generated energy that is supplied back to the power grid. A pump jack system is such an inefficient generator that the quantity of consumed energy required to produce any generation significantly exceeds the generated energy. Therefore, regardless of whether the utility company credits generated energy, it is always beneficial to the customer to avoid energy generation.
During periods of generation, an electric motor will attempt to attain a voltage that exceeds the utility's line voltage, thereby causing current to flow in the opposite direction. The load provided by the utility grid serves as a brake, limiting the acceleration of the electric motor that would have otherwise occurred. This braking action of the electric motor prevents the falling weights of the pump jack from developing additional kinetic energy that might have assisted the pumping action. This converted kinetic energy could have served as an alternative to electrical energy from the utility grid.
In the past, engineers have tried unsuccessfully to save significant amounts of energy by turning off the pump jack electric motor during a portion of the pump jack cycle that may have included a period of generation. This has been attempted with various mechanical switches and relays. However, the parameters of the downhole pumps and wells vary over time, so these mechanical solutions have not worked.
Fluid flow in the well may vary as the well fills, and then “pumps off.” In some cases the volume of fluid pumped may change from one stroke to the next. The changing volumes, densities, viscosities, weights, and other properties of materials and/or fluids pumped, such as gas, oil, water, and slurry, may greatly alter the combined weight of the rod string and the column of fluid, thereby affecting the balance of the system and the demand on the electric motor. In some wells the tubular strings may be thousands of feet in length. The influx of different fluids into the well over time will significantly impact the operation of the motor.
With the introduction of the microprocessor, it became possible to turn off the electric motor by observing the current and voltage. However, the problem was knowing when to turn the electric motor back on. Various open-loop time delays were unsuccessfully attempted in the past. The microprocessor solutions also failed since the parameters of the downhole pumps and wells vary over time.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,489,742 proposes a motor controller that includes power conveyance to an induction motor with a digital signal processor that calculates and optimizes supply of current for existent motor loading from a power supply and main voltage through a control element.
U.S. Pat. No. 8,085,009 proposes an IGBT/FET-based energy savings device, system and method wherein a predetermined amount of voltage below a nominal line voltage and/or below a nominal appliance voltage is saved. U.S. Pat. No. 8,085,010 proposes a TRIAC/SCR-based energy savings device, system and method wherein a predetermined amount of voltage below a nominal line voltage and/or below a nominal appliance voltage is saved. U.S. Pat. No. 8,120,307 proposes a system and method for providing constant loading in AC power applications wherein at least one turn-on point of at least one half cycle of a modulating sine wave is determined, at least one turn-off point of the at least one half cycle of the modulating sine wave is determined, and at least one slice located between the at least one turn-on point and the at least one turn-off point in removed. U.S. Pat. No. 8,004,255 proposes a power supply for IGBT/FET drivers that provides separated, isolated power to each IGBT/FET driver.
Proportional-integral-derivative (“PID”) control is a widely used technique applied to control algorithms and feedback mechanisms. A PID controller, as it is generally referred to, calculates a value based upon an “error.” Typically, the “error” is calculated as the difference between a measured process variable and a desired set point or target value. The PID controller attempts to minimize the error by adjusting the process control variables. In essence, the PID controller is a digital filter that has proportional, integral, and derivative parameters. The proportional value determines the reaction to the current error, the integral value determines the reaction based on the sum of the recent errors, and the derivative value determines the reaction based on the rate at which the error has been changing.
The above discussed U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,578,886; 4,051,736; 4,173,451; 6,489,742; 6,904,973; 8,004,255; 8,085,009; 8,085,010; and 8,120,307 are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes in their entirety.
A need exists to efficiently manage the energy usage of a pump jack electric motor, particularly during the energy generation mode.
Energy generated from electrical motors is needlessly wasted in oil wells and other applications where energy generation can occur. The energy generation from the electric motor happens when the balance of the well is imperfect. The balance of the well may be imperfect for a number of reasons, including, but not limited to: (1) varying compositions of oil, water and gas; (2) improper set-up of the well balance at installation; and (3) improper set-up of the well balance after maintenance. There are many additional factors affecting well balance.
In most cases, due to the well imbalance the electric motor is driven to a degree by the heavy portion of the well cycle. The energy generated by the electric motor under such circumstances is passed through the electricity meter in the opposite direction and may result in a credit. However, the trend with modern electricity meters is to disallow this credit. Even if the credit is given, the returned energy must originate from consumption of electrical power. While the motor is an efficient provider of mechanical energy to operate the well, it is a very inefficient generator in conjunction with the well mechanism and pump-rod string.
A need exists for a novel way to eliminate the energy generation from the motor that is fully adaptive to any well and requires no special set up procedures.